Aug
2013
21

Erik Johnson

In an emotional day and night, ClubCorp's Gainey Ranch Country Club in Scottsdale honored the lone Granite Mountain Hotshot survivor, Brendan McDonough, and raised more than $110,000 for the families of the Yarnell 19 who lost their lives fighting a fire. After the golf tournament, McDonough in turn thanked the community for their support, saying while we can't bring his brothers back, we can do our best to honor them and take care of their families.

McDonough was met with a standing ovation at the reception of the Yarnell Fire Golf Fundraiser on August 2nd. He told the crowd of his first meeting with Gainey Ranch General Manager, Jim Murphy. "I was in a cafe in Yarnell, and I was on my way to a funeral, I sat down and ate breakfast by myself, and he recognized me and told me he wanted to help."

Raising over $110,000, with donations still continuing to climb, players paid anywhere from $100 to $1,000 to play a nine-hole round, with the money going to the Arizona 100 Club to benefit the families of the fallen firefighters. An additional Fill-The-Boot-Campaign contributed to the overall funds raised, and will also be distributed to the Community of Yarnell. McDonough said donations are desperately needed for the wives and children of his fellow hotshots left behind. "There's a lot of children, unborn children, it's going to help a lot."

Gainey Ranch GM Murphy concluded with, "You see how many hugs they're giving him, the ovations they're giving him? He's a huge part of what we're doing today. We just want to show Brendan that we won't forget his brothers, which is exactly what he asked for."